Inept leadership, staggering turnover—proceed with caution - Anonymous employee Thinkery Employee Review

Thinkery has a serious leadership problem. Turnover is alarmingly high, staff have gone on strike multiple times, and employees regularly leave due to mistreatment. The Executive Team is ultimately responsible for the toxic work environment, lack of accountability, and persistent failure to address systemic issues. Their actions consistently undermine staff at all levels, making it nearly impossible for even the most dedicated employees to succeed. Since learning about the first planned walkout three months ago, every major decision from the Executive Team has only further destabilized the organization. For example, rather than meaningfully addressing systemic issues—such as the ongoing failure to listen to floor staff or the widespread breakdown of communication across the organization—they had floor staff sit through a reading of a newly written operations manual. The manual, created by people who don’t work on the floor, contradicted how many tasks are actually performed and piled on impossible new responsibilities, as if the solution to dysfunction was simply demanding more from an already overburdened team. Thinkery markets itself as a place of creativity, learning, and inclusivity. But internally, it operates in a way that contradicts those values, fostering an environment where employees feel disposable and unheard. Those who do raise concerns often find themselves pressured to leave. Even for those who stay, the consequences linger—employees who speak up are quietly marked, excluded from opportunities, or written off long after the fact, making it clear that their concerns were never forgiven. Meanwhile, full-time staff is hemorrhaging—by my estimate, Thinkery has had over 40% turnover in the past year. The most recent impact report lists around 67 full-time staff, and I can personally count 27 who have quit, been pushed out, or been suddenly removed. For comparison, nonprofit turnover typically falls between 14-21%, making Thinkery’s numbers double or even triple what’s considered normal. This isn’t just high turnover—it’s a crisis. At this rate, the organization is running on borrowed time. Leadership either refuses to acknowledge the problem or genuinely believes this is sustainable. Either way, the situation is getting worse, not better. It’s a real shame. A children’s museum should be a fun, inspiring place to work, but upper management has managed to strip the joy out of the job. Many employees love the mission, but the internal dysfunction makes it an exhausting and demoralizing place to work.